Italy - Clearing the Air

Taxes & Organized Crime: The Hidden Cost of EU Nicotine Policy

When it comes to taxing reduced-harm products, is the EU prioritizing public health, or just ignoring its own rules? We recently sat down with former EU tax official Donato Raponi, at the inaugural World Nicotine Congress, to unpack the complex and often…

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The world’s toughest vaping crackdowns

From prison sentences to outright constitutional bans, governments around the world are taking an increasingly hard line on vaping. While some countries regulate vapes as lower-risk alternatives to smoking, others have opted for outright prohibition - with penalties ranging from steep fines…

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EU backlash grows over Spain’s nicotine pouch restrictions

A widening coalition of EU member states is pushing back against Spain’s plans to impose sweeping restrictions on nicotine pouches and other smoke-free products, warning Brussels against adopting similar measures across the bloc. The latest objections target Madrid’s updated proposal and follow…

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FULL DOCUMENT: EU won’t push for bans at WHO Tobacco Control summit in blow for Commission

The full document can be viewed here. EU Member States have today agreed not to push for bans on safer nicotine products at the WHO’s bi-annual tobacco control summit, COP 11, after a large group of countries refused to accept the Commission’s…

Exclusives News

EXCLUSIVE: “Rethink the status quo” – two former WHO directors call for radical overhaul of global nicotine policy

Two former Directors at the World Health Organisation have called for a radical overhaul of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - the WHO’s International Treaty on tobacco control policy - in an exclusive op-ed for Clearing the Air. Derek Yach, a…

News Legislation

OPINION: The Commission is trying to trick EU countries that support harm reduction. They must not fall for it.

UPDATE - 3rd November 2025 - we've now seen the version of the paper that will be discussed by EU Ambassadors on Wednesday. Possible bans on safer nicotine products are still part of the text. When EU negotiations go late into the…

News Science

Vaping carries far lower risk of wheezing than smoking, new CoEHAR study finds

Smokers were nearly twice as likely to develop wheezing compared with vapers. The risk of respiratory symptoms rose sharply according to the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Exclusive vape use appears substantially less harmful than smoking, with risk levels near those of…

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EU vows vape tax hike as officials liken vapes to cigarettes

The European Union (EU) is preparing to hike taxes on vapes to the same level as cigarettes, as top commissioners draw direct comparisons between the two products - a move critics say ignores science. Brussels targets vapes in new tax overhaul At…

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Exclusive: EU Commission Leak Points to Full Crackdown on Nicotine Pouches

A leak has revealed that the European Commission is preparing a set of proposals on nicotine pouches that could redefine the EU’s approach to tobacco harm reduction. The documents suggest measures far more restrictive than current WHO guidance, with serious implications for…

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